#* tori.

        victoria?

peyton was aware of his tendency to speak without thinking, but this time he had been so genuinely caught off guard that he couldn’t tell if he had actually said her name out loud or not. the question answers itself when tori turns around and peyton has to tighten the grip on his drink to keep from fully dropping it on the sidewalk. it’s not everyday you run into an ex-girlfriend from the other side of the world on your way home after a quick coffee run. not to mention, it looked like she was moving in? ...to dallyeog?

holy fucking shit, is all the male can manage to think for the next few moments, though did she get hotter? runs through his mind once or twice like a confusing math equation too. peyton’s legs also seem to move without thinking and soon he was directly in front of tori, the rest of his coffee already tossed into a nearby trashcan before he even reaches her.

“hey,” he says brightly as he lifts a large box from her arms with ease. “need some help?” he doesn’t stop to question his actions, instead somehow managing to keep his cool despite the fact that his brain was close to short circuiting. peyton knew he had his fair share of broken hearts over the years, probably a few ex-flings that never wanted to see him again — while things with tori had been different, he still felt bad at the way things between them had ended. 

but that was in the past and they were adults. fuck being awkward, right? their last few interactions hadn’t been the most pleasant after peyton dropped the ball that he was leaving the country, so he could only pray tori wasn’t still holding a grudge. he was at least in his right mind to save any and all flirting until after he knew he wouldn’t be pushed into oncoming traffic.

“long time no see.”